Long after The Sex Pistols buckled under the puppet strings of Malcom McLaren and The Clash grew tired of singing the day's headlines, The Damned continue to this day to embody the punk ethic - the ability for a group of individuals, whether talented or not (again, preferably the latter), to grab a guitar, cop a microphone and some drums, and get up on stage and play - anything. And although they have been shunned at times by the recording industry, The Damned have built a rabidly loyal fan base over the past 25 years that continues to pack concert halls and clubs more than a decade after the band released their last legitimate studio album.

This History of The Damned is one of phenomenal success and bitter disappointment, drunken debauchery and dogged determination. As with all great epics, it began during a period of turmoil and upheaval, when things had to change.